The population density in Rwanda is very high and as a result much of the country is cultivated, and the terraced hillsides have been compared to those in Nepal or the Phillipines.

Like many other countries in the region, Rwanda’s economy is largely agriculturally based, dominated by coffee which accounts for 75% of export income. Other principal food crops include plantain, , sweet potato, beans, cassava, sorghum and maize.

Floral and fauna of Mt Rwenzori makes it the preferred coffee origin not only for its bio-diversity but exquisite and exceptional coffees in the region therefore the true beauty of mountain coffee was formed 3 million years ago

The story of Mt.Rwenzori coffee is one of a nimble and innovative response to profound changes in the high-end specialty coffee market,Historically coffee farmers took their fruit to large and centralized mills for processing.

The High growing elevation of 5900 meters above sea level makes the cup to have a bright and substantial mouthfeel ,the mountain coffee of Mt.Rwenzori clearly defines the identity and character in the cup in relation to the terroir of the region .

Green coffee is considered to be an agricultural commodity,so can be traded on commodity markets.Arabica coffee is traded on the New York international commodity Exchange (NY ICE),whereas its counterpart Robusta coffee on LIFFE London international financial futures Exchange

Commodity price indices are used as a starting point for negotiations when buying coffee ,falling prices of commodity markets and low prices for high quality African specialty coffee will greatly affects small coffee producers mostly in African coffee growing regions where the coffee production cost are high coupled with poverty ,dysfunctional government systems and co-operative societies,poor book keeping records,poor infrastructure and limited access to financial services.

Therefore small holder farmers need more commitment and support from coffee exporters ,producers and notably roasters to recognize and reward more to small holders farmers at origin .

According to Ejournal ,Exploring African Great lakes coffee in East African countries,labour cost represent more than 70% of the total production and a further 30% on disease and control.

For example in Burundi the average cost of production for a farmer who adopts good agricultural practices varies between 50.1 us cents to 57.6 us cents per tree where an average size of a farm is 100 trees,therefore coffee sustainability is still a challenge due to high costs production for certified coffee and specialty coffee involved in the perspective of an African coffee farmer.

Uganda is ranked the 4th producer of Robusta coffee in the world and is currently producing 4.8 million bags ,The 2025 roadmap of 20 million bags has enchanted the increase in both quality and quantity and there is hope that this will attract future markets to continue to pay higher premiums for high quality coffee.

The ugandan coffee provides and encourages more coffee stock brokers with attractive discounts on high quality specialty Arabica coffee and specialty Robusta to attract more Coffee exports and production coffee investments in uganda .The ugandan government has created an attractive and conducive investment hubs and parks ready for future coffee investment and value addition to ugandan coffee.

Most certified stocks are usually mostly made up of Robusta coffee from Vietnam the world ‘s top grower of the variety.meanwhile the strong physical differentials continue to make Vietnamese beans more expensive for the industry,further boosting the appeal of the cheaper certified Robusta.

Coffee prices are likely to increase in the 2018/2019 harvest season compared to the 2017 ico coffee prices clearly justified the above narrative by highlighting the difference in prices of coffee from the major coffee growing regions in the previous 2017 harvest.

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Soil is an important matter for coffee cultivation ,soil supplies many necessary nutrients for healthy growth of a coffee plant and hence the desired cup quality,the coffee yield and cup quality is largely dependent on the soil on which the coffee grows.Before cultivation , its very important to check the soil for nutrients,by checking the soil you will know whether the soil is having enough amount of nutrients or not

If any nutrient is less or more than the required amount so that necessary measures can be taken.

Paat soil clinic has helped to address the issue of soil fertility and management in uganda,

Soil testing encourages plant growth by providing the best fertilizers recommendations in line with certification agency

By diagnosing whether there is too little or too much of the nutrients

Soil testing promotes environmental quality and also has helped many small holder coffee farmers to save money on unwanted fertilizers

Paat soil clinic has improved on household income among small holder farmers.

According to ICTupdate ,an online web magazine which highlights innovation and research development aimed at improving livelihoods of small holder farmers in Africa and beyond clearly indicated that In Africa, many farmers lack on-site soil and crop information and base their fertiliser selection on intuition or on tacit knowledge and advice from local agro dealers, without knowing the actual nutrient status of their soils. This can result in a mismatch between applied nutrients and required nutrients for productive soils. More so, applying non-limiting nutrients results in economic losses and environmental degradation. What is needed, is real-time information on the nutrient status of soils for informed decision-making on fertilisation. Worldwide, only about 5% of the farmers have access to reliable soil testing information. Conventional soil test laboratories are expensive and testing is done off field, advice is often complex and delivered with delay. But recent technological innovations in IT, sensor technology and machine learning, have opened up new possibilities.

Uganda which mostly grows 80% Robusta and 20%Arabica is boosting out trees planted in recent years come into production.The state run Uganda coffee Development Authority has said the crop may reach 5.8 million bags in 2020 and the country is targeting 20 million bags in 2025.

(OWC )operation wealth creation lunched in July 2013 by president Yoweri Museveni to create a system that facilitates effective national socio-economic transformation with the focus on raising household income ,According to OWC achievement recorded from UCDA coffee seedlings generate capacity increased from 44.57m in Financial year 2012/13 to 285.20 million financial year 2016/17 ,coffee seedlings increased from 19.3 million in FY 2012/13 to 172.77 million in FY 2016/17

Production has increased from 4 million bags in FY 2015/16 to 4.7 million bags in FY2017 and envisaged to increase 11% to 5.1 million 60 kilogram bags because of the better growing conditions,There was a marked increase in both quantity of exports and in value in FY 2016/17 of 18% and 39% respectively compared to FY 2015/16

Coffee hullers and processors were taught and guided on how to improve on processing techniques and implement the laws governing producing coffee which eventually resulted into a better quality cup but still the factory owners were warned and advised to follow the UCDA set standards and put permanent structures.

Coffee takes 2 to 5 years after with some varieties taking 3 years for the first harvest.However poor processing may jeopardize a year’s work in a matter of hours,Drying is probably the processing phase where most losses are incurred if not properly performed followed perhaps by pulping if used and hulling.

Excessive heat can have several negative impacts on coffee quality from bleaching to turning unripe cherries into black beans.

Over heating affects cup quality of kiboko popular name with sun dried coffee in Uganda mostly Robusta,”kiboko” a local word for Cane .

During colonial times the clan leaders and village chief Caned coffee farmers who dried coffee on bare ground .kiboko or sun dried (drugar) a grading classification for sun dried Ugandan Arabica coffee, should be revolved frequently. Though companies have resorted to mechanical drying and use of solar driers .

Hulling May cause physical damage to coffee beans mostly if the coffee is dried under 10% moisture level .

Finally Good Agriculture practices(GAP) good post harvesting handling and better coffee processing methods will improve on Cup Quality which eventually improves on Aroma,Body,Acidity ,sweetness and others.

Lookout for our next issue of Desuzacoffees’s best harvest farmer as we highlight the outstanding farmer the best micro-lot from Uganda on our Desuzacoffees’s website .

“We have started the harvest and the season is good,” Alex Kacpo one of the outstanding coffee farmers from Kapichorwa ,Eastern coffee growing region in Uganda,Explains the processing of (wugar ) grade Classification for washed Ugandan Arabica coffee.

We always pick the red ripe cherries put on a tarpaulin to remove the green which has come with the good ones,float the good cherries removing the ones on the top of the water,pulp within 8 hours of picking,ferment for 8-24 hours depending on the weather,wash with water to avoid contamination as we remove the one floating,dry on a raised platform locally constructed African raised beds to drip off the water then continue drying up to Mc between 13% and 11% .we stock and identify each harvest by lot ,variety ,farm and harvest period from the ripening type Early,intermediate and late.

As uganda joins the rest of the world 🌎 to celebrate international coffee Day ,its 4th national celebration were held on 4th October 2018 at MUZARDI in mukono central region of uganda and the theme was the role of women in coffee.

“Empower women in the coffee sector and achieve the coffee roadmap targets of 20million bags by 2025 earlier than planned “Hon victoria Ssekitoleko president IWCA uganda advised the stakeholders during the Celebration Event.

Desuzacoffees Green coffee hub Empowers women and today we share our thoughts on how to improve on gender Equality

Uganda’s coffee sector is the country’s largest export earner. Over one and a half million farmers are engaged in growing coffee making it the largest concentration of coffee farmers in the world. Raising premiums, improving yields and increasing farmer participation in the value chain are some of the highest value ways to address poverty in Uganda and drive economic development.

The government of Uganda has raised the priority of the coffee sector within its national development activities. The National Coffee Strategy launched in April 2017 aims to increase production by 20m bags by 2025 and also to raise the quality of coffee produced and improve patterns of consumption and export. While the issues of land management, propagation and harvesting are well understood, the areas of market access and structuring to optimise marketing opportunities are less so.

Coffee plays an important role in the economy of many Tropical countries by providing livelihood for an estimated 25 million rural households were 70% of the labor in coffee production is provided by women.The performance of the sector could be enhanced by strengthening the women who represent a crucial resource along the entire coffee value chain through their role as farmers,laborers or millennial local entrepreneurs but face severe constraints in accessing production factors and markets to link directly with the international coffee roasters and buyers

But women still face gender specific constraints in accessing resources that hamper their agricultural productivity negatively affecting household welfare.when women harvest their smaller coffee harvest they are less likely to sell crops to markets leading to lower farm income,negatively affecting rural livelihoods and household welfare because men in Uganda coffee growing regions have more access to resources hence a higher gap in Agriculture productivity

Using information Technology and Communication to raise awareness,empower the women through the use of mobile phones and Desuzacoffees online coffee market hub to support and empower small holder farmers to sell coffee and traditional African craft and Barista Gear this has improved on women’s agency and empowered Women Faster

Therefore increase farm gate income which in turn improves on the nutrition of the dependents in the household.

The Desuzacoffees green coffee hub was engineered to support and empower women in rural coffee growing regions of Uganda to sell specialty green beans directly to the international buyers and roaster directly.visit our coffee hub at http://www.Desuzacoffees.com

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